Brad Pitt threatens legal action

Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008, 16:16 [IST]

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Washington (ANI): The birth of the Brangelina twins has caused so much frenzy among media outlets that new dad Brad Pitt has had to threaten legal action against 'surreptitiously' taken pictures. The threat was delivered through his attorney to media outlets, warning them that whosoever publishes photos snapped "surreptitiously" of Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their family, including new twins Knox and Vivienne, on the grounds of their French estate will have to face serious legal action.

Jolie checked out of the hospital on July 19, a week after the birth of her twins. A letter was sent to various publications and was also made available for perusal on the Smoking Gun's website, regarding the privacy matter. Yael Holtkamp of the high-powered Los Angeles-based law firm Lavely&Singer warns of dire consequences should the images, shot by shutterbugs using "highly powerful telephoto lenses," turn up in print or online.

"The taking of the Photos constitutes a malicious violation of Mr. Pitt's privacy, including under the laws of California and France," E!online quoted the attorney as saying. As an example, the letter cited one unidentified photo agency that supposedly posted images of the family lounging on the grounds of the Chateau Miraval, a sprawling 60 million dollars country manor in the south of France. The agency has since removed the pictures from its website, but it had taken some persuasion from the Pitt pack to make it happen.

There were no more comments on the matter from Holtkamp, and he did not return phone calls. For Pitt, 44, and Jolie, 33, it seems that protecting their privacy is not the only thing on their mind, as they are reportedly trying to negotiate a deal with various publications for the exclusive first (authorized) photos of the newborns. The deal is expected to be worth several million dollars, with the money most likely donated to charity.